narutofanonfandomcom-20200222-history
Ishu Zurui
Ishu Zurui is an ancient entity. Time has been nothing but a fickle thing for him, given the thousands of years he has lived. He never wanted to live this long, but it's a curse he has to deal with. Ten thousand years have gone by and he hasn't aged a day since the curse that engulfed him to be doomed to the fires of eternity. The things he had done while under this curse were unspeakable, having been used as a puppet by the man who cursed him with this power. His fear of death ended up being the thing that would bring the ancient era's prosperity to an end. He outlived the man who granted him his curse, but it never waned, leading him to a path of redemption. But his darkened form makes it difficult to approach anyone willing to hear his plea. But he doesn't give up. He's been at it for ten thousand years, so giving up is no longer an option for this broken man. Background Ten thousand years ago, the land was once prosperous. Technology that would be considered advanced even in the modern era was the norm. Furthermore, the world was protected by powerful champions, each one from a different corner of the world. All in all, it was peaceful, thanks to the efforts by the champions to keep evil at bay. Their power ensured that nothing ever tried to violate the peace and prosperity of the land. Ishu was always inspired by this lineage of champions and strove to become on himself. He enlisted himself into the royal guard, quickly rising through the ranks as he showed his promise. He had even fought alongside the champions quite a few times and got to know them. The more he got to know them, the more he wanted to become like one of them, and pushed himself to the absolute limits of his abilities, then broke past them. While this training went on, a civil war between a group of rebels who chose to abandon the prospects of the technology that covered the land, seeing it as a blight and wished to see it destroyed. While he was on the front lines, Ishu showed just how durable he was. Running through a rain of arrows, several of them marde their mark, turning his body into a pincushion. But he slowly managed to get up, his sword and shield still firmly in his hands. Seeing this sight struck fear into the rebels, who began calling him Fushieki, or the War Zombie. His bravery on the battlefield earned him the rank of Champion. Though his injuries healed rather quickly, he nearly died from those injuries, and it horrified him. Worried by the possibility of death, Ishu began seeking out ways to try and eliminate the possibility of dying, so he can become something of an eternal champion. He found a man on the far outskirts of the world who was willing to help him with his predicament, no strings attached. Though Ishu was suspicious about this, he took the deal anyway. As he shook hands with the man, his ski began to change. His once tanned skin turned grey, and his tunic was dyed pitch black. His once striking hazel eyes were overcome with red, which drowned even the sclera of his eyes. Ishu felt like he was unstoppable with this power. Thanking the man, he once again returned to the battlefield. Every time someone went to attack him, it wouldn't phase him, allowing him to go for the killing blow. As this went on, he felt like he completely lost control of his body. At this moment, he was stabbed in the back. Left for dead, he was unconscious, but still alive. By this moment, the man who he made the deal with gained full control over his body and silenced his voice. Within moments, the wound stopped bleeding and he continued his charge against the rebels, cutting them down one by one until there wasn't a single rebel left alive. After that, he was forced to go after the champions. With a sadistic smirk upon his face, he easily fought through each champion, overpowering them with his extreme durability. The only one he was on equal footing with was the final champion, who proved to be a difficult opponent to face. But using underhanded tactics, Ishu kicked water into his face and used that moment to stab the champion in the chest. With all of the champions dead, a massive power vacuum ensued, and the rebels took advantage of it. Destroying what technology they could get their hands on, the last groups of armies began trying to use what technology was left to fight off the rebel threat, but they were no match against the ever-increasing rebel threat and the last of the world's advanced technology was destroyed, or buried by those who remained. The world was essentially set back hundreds of years by this, and the rebels took to a simplistic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Ishu, on the other hand, roamed the land, looking for anyone else who could potentially rise up against him and his master. As the years passed, Ishu never aged a day, but the man who controlled him was starting to show his age. After eighty years, the man finally died. Ishu, no longer under the control of this man, felt every emotion that was suppressed by the dark energies return, and all he could feel was eternal sorrow, having been responsible not just for the death of the champions and his closest friends, but for singlehandedly bringing the prosperous world back to the stone age, setting off a chain of events that would take thousands of years to fix. He found himself taking a vow of silence, going through a long, arduous path of redemption, hoping to redeem himself of the things he did. As thousands of years passed, Ishu became something of a silent guardian, watching over those in need of help. He helped in many of the wars that happened over the thousands of years, taking on the side of good and fighting in small skirmishes. If any travelers were attacked by bandits or some other being looking to end their life, he'd cut down the attackers and disappear just as quickly as he came. He came to be known as the Guardian Shadow, and he would keep this persona for the rest of his life. But he still felt like he needed to do more, but was afraid to show himself due to his darkened appearance, something that never faded even long after the death of the man who controlled him. To this day, he still tries to work up the courage to try and walk to a village to try and become something new. Appearance Before being taken control of by the dealmaker's evil energies, Ishu was once considered a handsome man. He was well built and of average height, with jet black hair that went down his neck, topped with a blue hat, and tanned skin that was blessed by the sun. His eyes were a lustrous shade of hazel, and seeing his eyes were a beacon of inspiration for the men that fought alongside him. He wore a blue tunic, as it was customary for each champion to wear a tunic of a different color. Under the tunic was a white blouse and white pants, complemented by a pair of brown gloves and boots. But after being taken control of, his once tanned skin turned grey, his jet black hair turning white. His once warm, hazel eyes shifted to a menacing shade of red, before being completely drowned out by red. His once blue tunic turned to pitch black, and his white undergarments turned grey. Personality Ishu was once a kind and trustworthy individual. He always went out of his way to help the people of his village, and everyone looked up to him for his selfless actions. The children of the village strove to grow up to be just like him, and he was a beacon of inspiration for his village. On the battlefield, just Ishu's mere presence alone was enough of a morale boost for his men to push back against the ever-growing rebel threat. To the champions around him, he was something of a brother to them, and they too were inspired by the dedication to his training. But during the time he was controlled by the dealmaker, his once heroic and selfless personality was drowned out by a sadistic and dark-hearted one. He had no qualms with hurting those around him, and the art of killing was like art to him. He wanted nothing more than the destruction of those around him while under the dealmaker's control, but these emotions were perhaps more the dealmaker's than Ishu's. After the dealmaker died, Ishu's emotions returned to normal, but he felt a sense of despair and anguish, devastated by the things he had done while under the dealmaker's control, having remembered every single thing he did while under that evil man's control. Since then, his emotions have become somewhat more positive. What helped most was seeing the world slowly get back on its feet, technology once again become prosperously advanced. It was a sight he hoped to see since the ten thousand years he had lived through. Abilities Ishu was something of a master when it came to the art of his sword and shield. As one of the Champions, it was imperative that his skills be as sharp as the blade he wielded, and his wits even sharper. This mindset would be a staple of his life, and even after the end of the rebel war, he continued to train his skills, making sure they never became rusty. With thousands of years to hone his art, Ishu became an ancient master, showcasing techniques that haven't been seen for thousands of years. Even just the mere usage of a shield was something not seen very often outside of being created via technique. Furthermore, the usage of a sword in his left hand made fighting against him difficult, as every other swordsman on both sides of the war were right handed. But the sword and shield isn't his only specialty. Bukijutsu, or the art of tool usage, is another tactic he picked up as a Champion. Any tool at his disposal is capable of being used with precise ingenuity, even utilizing the tool for things it wasn't meant to be used for. When chakra began flooding through the world, Ishu began to use this and became attuned to the element of fire. He would use this affinity to enhance his overall skills greatly. Kenjutsu and Tatejutsu As a member of the Royal Guard and subsequently a Champion of the Region of Fire, knowledge in the sword and shield was imperative. Chakra and the art of ninjutsu and such were nonexistent during these times, so it all boiled down to who had the better skills in close quarters. Ishu's kenjutsu can never be understated. Even ten thousand years ago, he was considered a master of the blade. The skills he demonstrated with a sword in his left hand eclipsed anything one could do with a sword in their right hand. His left handed fighting style made it difficult to fight him, as it was trying to fight a mirror. Ishu used that to his every advantage, cutting his enemies down before they even had a chance to strike back. Precise parries and perfect timing with his shield was more than enough to disarm his opponents long enough to go for the kill, and his shield parries have been known to break wrists due to all of the kinetic energy moving through the blade down to the opponent's hand. Ishu was always a dangerous combatant. Even before he realized just how strong his body is, he was able to take down scores of enemies just through the skills brought forth by his sword and shield. Ten thousand years of dedication to his sword and shield, both of which had stood the test of time, have brought his skills to perfection. Movements that would be burdening to those with even decades of training are effortless to Ishu, as he has become accustomed to the weight of his sword and shield to the point where it doesn't even feel like he's holding them anymore. With a perfectly timed shield bash at the apex of his opponent's swing, he can instantly disarm his opponents by not only reflecting all of the kinetic energy of the swing back into their wrist, but also imparting the kinetic energy of his shield into it, further amplifying the deflection. Ishu has even learned how to apply this to certain projectiles. By parrying arrows at just the right angle, rolling his shield can curve the arrow's path back towards the shooter. Bukijutsu But even a master swordsman needs a backup plan on the off chance that they become disarmed. Ishu always knew that one day his sword and shield won't be enough to win the battle. So he began training himself in the use of tools both convention and unconventional. As such, Ishu has expert knowledge in any tool at his disposal, from the simplicity of the kunai, to the complexity of the shuriken and further beyond. He wasn't one to stay in the past, so whenever new tools were invented, he became acquainted with their use until using them was second nature to him. His older tools included small bombs that could be used for crowd control, while other tools involved sticks he could use as makeshift torches. But his knowledge in newer tools can't be understated, as he trains himself for each tool he has seen over the course of thousands of years. Taijutsu Every Champion knew that their weapon alone wouldn't be enough for every battle, so once they were ordained as champions, they were trained in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, to ensure that even when disarmed, they can fight back competently and dangerously. Ishu studied under one of the earliest forms of taijutsu and perfected it, utilizing archaic forms of fighting including grappling and submitting the opponent with precise joint locks and strangleholds. As the years passed, newer forms of martial arts began to take center stage. Not wanting to be left behind in the arts of taijutsu, Ishu kept up with each new style of taijutsu that was introduced. Eventually, he had knowledge of every single form of martial arts from the past ten thousand years, and is capable of utilizing them all to tailor to the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. Despite this omnipotent knowledge of taijutsu, it's still a last resort method for him, as he prefers to utilize his sword and shield as his first resort, and his taijutsu as the perfect last resort. Quotes "Maybe it's selfish to have lived for as long as I have. I certainly wouldn't argue with anyone who assumed so. But is it selfish to try and use these years to make a difference to the people around you? Perhaps. But in doing so, you help make someone's life brighter by making a difference for them. And that's what I want to do. I want to make a difference to the people of this world. Because if I am cursed to live on this world for the rest of time, I may as well make it bearable not just for me, but for everyone." "This is from a language that died about the time the era of the ancient world ended, but my family had a creed. Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. It means, "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe". It boils down to this; Be truthful to those around you, and you will be a beacon of inspiration for them." "My family always believed there were three levels of Heaven. The lower level was where the Demigods lives. The middle level was where the Patron Gods lived. And the upper level was where the Old Gods lived. Below that was our Earth, and below even that, the Underworld, where the most unthinkable evils were banished to. Now that I think about it, we weren't too far off. Not bad for a ten thousand year old clan, don't you think?"